John Wesley

And Hiram added: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth!

“Made heaven and earth - It seems Huram was not only a friend to the Jewish nation, but a proselyte to their religion, and that he worshipped Jehovah, the God of Israel, (who was now known by that name to the neighbour-nations) as the God…”

Then he set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south and one on the north.

“Jachin - That is, He shall establish. Boaz - That is, In it is strength.”

The poles of the ark extended far enough that their ends were visible from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are…

“To this day - When this history was first written; not when it was reviewed by Ezra: for after the return from Babylon, neither staves nor ark were any more seen.”

Now all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves regardless of their divisions. And when the priests came out of the Holy Place,

“By course - According to David's appointment, 1 Chron. xxiv, 1-31, xxv, 1-22, which was only for the ordinary service, but in extraordinary solemnities, such as this, they all came together.”

Hear the plea of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. May You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place. May You hear and forgive.

“And when they shall, &c. - He asks not, that God would help them without their praying for themselves, but that God would help them, in answer to their prayers. Even Christ's intercession does not supersede, but encourage our supplications.”

O LORD God, do not reject Your anointed one. Remember Your loving devotion to Your servant David.”

“Lord, remember his merits, and accept of us, on the account of them. Remember the promises of the everlasting covenant, which are called the sure mercies of David, Isaiah lv, 3.”

Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her.

“The house - He built this house for her; because the ark was now in the house of David, which therefore ought to be kept pure and free from the very danger and appearance of pollution.”

Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God.

“For the Lord - In the Lord's name and stead, in a special manner, because he sat in God's own throne, and ruled over God's peculiar people, and did in an eminent manner maintain the honour of God in his land, and in the eyes…”

And Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. And his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.

“And Solomon slept - We have here Solomon in his throne, and Solomon in his grave; for the throne could not secure him from the grave.”

For the Levites left their pasturelands and their possessions and went to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the LORD.

“Cast them off - They would not suffer them to instruct the Israelites in the worship of God, nor to go up to Jerusalem to worship in their courses: and these priests would not join with them in the worship of the calves, as they…”

And Jeroboam appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat demons and calf idols he had made.

“High places - Or, for the high places, both for the devils (the Baals, or false gods, which divers of his people worshipped, whom he encouraged to do so, giving them liberty to do anything but to serve God at Jerusalem) and for the calves.”

with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horsemen, and countless troops who came with him out of Egypt—Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites.

“Lubims - A people of Africk bordering upon Egypt. Sukkiims - A people living in tents, as the word signifies; and such there were not far from Egypt, both in Africk and in Arabia.”

When the LORD saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them, but will soon…

“Some deliverance - I will give some stop to the course of my wrath, which was ready to be poured forth upon them to their utter destruction. Those who acknowledge God is righteous in afflicting them, shall find him gracious.”

Every morning and every evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD.

“Pure table - Made of pure gold, Exod. xxv, 23, 24, he saith table and candlestick, though there were ten of each, because ordinarily there was but one of each used at a time for those uses.”

Now behold, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with their trumpets sound the battle call against you.

“Trumpets - Upon the sounding whereof God hath solemnly promised to assist his people, Num. x, 9. The Lord - You have not only us for your enemies, but God, even the God whom your fathers served.”

Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to ambush from the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah, the ambush was behind them.

“Jeroboam - While Abijah was discoursing, Jeroboam takes the advantage of it to lay an ambush. It does not appear that he made any answer to all that Abijah said.”

and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. And when they raised the cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

“Gave a shout - It is unspeakable comfort, that no stratagem or ambush can cut off our communication with heaven. To the cry of prayer they added the shout of faith, and so became more than conquerors.”

Because the land was at peace, Asa built fortified cities in Judah. In those days no one made war with him, because the LORD had given him rest.

“The land had rest - Those have rest indeed, to whom God gives rest; peace indeed, to whom Christ gives peace. We find by experience, it is good to seek the Lord.”

Then Zerah the Cushite came against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots, and they advanced as far as Mareshah.

“Ethiopian - Or, the Arabian, as the Hebrew word Cush is commonly used: these being much nearer to Asa than the Ethiopians.”

At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and told him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your…

“Escaped - And so reserved to be a scourge to thy kingdom and posterity: whereas if he had joined with Baasha against thee, thou shouldst have overthrown them both, and prevented all that mischief which that monarch will do to thy family.”

In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady became increasingly severe.

“Sought not - He did not humble himself before God, but put his confidence in the skill and faithfulness of his physicians.”

And his heart took delight in the ways of the LORD; furthermore, he removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.

“He was valiant and resolute for God and his ways. Groves - Those wherein idols were worshipped, and though Asa had done this before, yet either he did not do it thoroughly; or the Jews (who were many of them mad upon their idols) had…”

Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD?

“Which he did partly by stirring up the Moabites, and others to invade him, chap. xx, 1, partly by permitting his eldest son Jehoram to kill all his brethren, chap.”

Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and once again he went out among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the LORD, the God…

“Through - Through the whole kingdom, whereof these were the two bounds. And brought - Such of them as had revolted from God to idols, he reclaimed by his counsel and example, and by the instructions of the Levites and priests, whom he carried with…”

Then he said to the judges, “Consider carefully what you do, for you are not judging for man, but for the LORD, who is with you when you render judgment.

“The Lord - You represent God's person to whom judgment belongeth, you have your commission from God, and not from man only; and your administration of justice is not only for man's good, but also for God's honour and service.”